A media veteran's look at what's right with what we write, read, hear and see, and what's dreadfully wrong.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Not Your Father's New York Times--Big and Bold In the A Section

London Bombing Inspires Once-Gray Lady To Go Large With The ArtThe Times hasn't been shy about large photo spreads in the feature sections. But outsize art in the news pages is rare. The London bombings changed all that, and maybe could serve as a primer for how to do it right for less tragic events.If you haven't already, check out yesterday's double-truck layout on pages A12-13, with three shots of the wounded, including the one everybody used of the women with the towel over her face. On A-13 the entire above-the-fold space is of two badly injured people being attended to by passers-by. It was gripping journalism, and few other newspapers than the Times would have had the whereiwithal or the guts to pull it off like they did.With the recent promotion of a photo editor to assistant managing editor status, Bill Keller has demonstrated the status of art in the Times.It's an important and visible way to keep newspapers relevant in the years ahead, finding different and compelling ways to tell a story that needs to be told.